Nixon Hire is a leading provider of plant, site accommodation and welfare facilities for hire. The company is a major advocate of eco-friendly technology, investing in commercially viable sustainable products and striving to become the UK’s greenest rental company. They had previously used competitor products which did not meet their high expectations.
Nixon Hire needed products that generated as much renewable power as possible to help reduce carbon emission, fuel usage and engine run time, as well as reducing labor costs for refueling and maintenance. The products needed to work reliably day-in, day-out and be able to cope with the depths of a British winter.
Nixon Hire initially purchased 10 ProPower single-phase solar hybrid generators to test and prove that they were able to cope with the needs of their customers. They quickly saw the benefits and re-ordered more, and now have the largest off-grid fleet in the UK. Prolectric provided full training on the ProPower, which features a 22kVA generator with a 15kVA inverter and a 35 kWh lithium-ion battery storage – rechargeable in just three hours.
The trailer mounted design means it is quick and easy to deliver and setup. The 35 gallon internal fuel tank has the option to connect to an additional external supply and diesel usage is kept to a minimum using a Smart Distribution Board, reducing energy wastage via switchable loads.
In July 2022, the ProPower fleet saved Nixon Hire customers over $71,005 in diesel, reduced fossil fuel usage by 7,796 gallons and cut carbon emissions into the environment by 79-tons. The eight hydraulic solar panels can harvest as much as 3kW of solar energy and can power up to seven 32ft site accommodation units plus one Watermatic at a time.
The cloud-based Smart Remote Portal – combining intelligent hardware, software and GPS tracking – enables customers to review the power generated and consumed at any time. They can also switch the unit on and off as needed, wherever they are, further saving time, money and emissions onsite.
79-tons
7,796 gallons of fuel
$71,005
We installed our first ProPower at the beginning of June 2022, and the backup generator didn’t run once in the first month. Customers are seeing savings of up to £6.5k per month per unit on fuel alone. We can map their load profile and turn things on and off remotely for the customer so it’s all running as optimally as possible. It’s very efficient compared to the traditional diesel generators used for these functions. Also, compared to the old tech, there’s a lot less servicing required because the generator runs less frequently.
Nick Hibbard